Tecno Phantom 9 Review

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The Tecno Phantom 9 is a new TECNO smartphone with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and AI triple rear cameras. It also has a dot notch, an on-screen fingerprint scanner, and a dual-LED front flash.

The camera is a strong point of this device, as it comes with a 16MP primary sensor, a 2 MP depth sensor, and an 8MP wide-angle lens. It supports AI, beauty, Bokeh, and AR modes to take great shots.

6.4-inch AMOLED display

TECNO Phantom 9 has a gorgeous 6.4-inch AMOLED display protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The screen offers plenty of real estate for media consumption, while colors are punchy and blacks are deep.

Besides the stunning display, the Phantom 9 features a triple camera setup powered by MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. It is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The Tecno Phantom 9 also features an in-display fingerprint sensor that is fast and responsive. It is the first smartphone under Rs 15,000 to feature this unique feature.

AI triple rear camera

Tecno Phantom 9 boasts a stunning AI triple rear camera setup at the back, allowing you to capture immersive wide-angle shots without a sweat. It has a 16 MP primary sensor with a large f/1.8 aperture, a 2MP depth sensor, and an 8MP 120 deg ultra-wide lens.

In addition to this, it also comes with a 32MP front camera that is backed by a dual flashlight. This feature is handy as it helps you take great pictures even in low light conditions.

On-screen fingerprint scanner

The Tecno Phantom 9 has an on-screen fingerprint scanner which works well in low light. However, it is prolonged compared to physical scanners.

It’s a good feature on a sub-UGX 1M phone, but it’s not perfect and Tecno should consider keeping the physical scanner. Thankfully, there’s a face unlock feature that’s faster.

Powered by Helio P35 chipset

Tecno has shown its faith in MediaTek by sourcing a 12nm octa-core Helio P35 chipset for the Phantom 9. It comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The Helio P35 chipset is not the best in class, but it does provide enough power to handle daily tasks like surfing the web and sending text messages. It also delivers decent gaming performance in lower graphics settings.

For photography, the Phantom 9 sports a triple rear camera set-up with a 16MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. It also includes a variety of shooting modes, including AI Camera, Beauty Mode, Bokeh/Portrait, AR Shot, Panorama, and Wide-Selfie.

HiOS 5 based on Android 9 Pie

The Tecno Phantom 9 is one of the latest phones from TECNO Mobile, and it came with HiOS 5 based on Android 9 Pie out of the box. This custom UI is not a recent upgrade from the Android 10 version that was announced, but it still feels pretty mature and isn’t groundbreaking.

The Tecno Phantom 9 comes with a dewdrop notch display that has a 19.5:9 perfect screen ratio and makes it able to give you more content without scrolling down too much. This display has an AMOLED panel that makes it brighter and closer to the natural color while filtering out blue light that could harm your eyes.

Good battery life

The Tecno Phantom 9 Pie packs an impressive 3500mAh battery that can power you through a day or more with moderate usage. It can also run light games like PUBG Mobile and PES 2019 on medium graphics settings.

In addition, the Tecno Phantom 9 Pie comes with a host of features to mitigate battery drain using AI. These include smart power-saving, AI intelligent reminders, and eye care to reduce eye strain.

Price

Tecno Phantom 9 is a premium phone packed with features and reasonably priced. It offers a high-quality 6.4-inch AMOLED display, AI triple rear cameras, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

Despite a giant screen, it remains compact and pocketable thanks to an impressive 84% screen-to-body ratio. In addition, it boasts a U-shaped notch, which makes the display look more natural and appealing.

Powering the device is a 12nm MediaTek Helio P35 chipset with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Besides, it also supports Dual SIM and 4G connectivity.